Arsenal’s Job Cuts Put Soccer’s Money Problem Under the Microscope

Arsenal are preparing to make no fewer than 60 staff members redundant just weeks after handing Mikel Arteta the biggest salary of any manager in the Premier League, multiple reports state.

Arteta will take home over £20 million ($26 million) annually after putting pen to paper on a lucrative new contract earlier this month, with those negotiations held while an external consultancy group was brought in to find ways to cut costs elsewhere.

A report from theThe Telegraph says this has led to 60 imminent redundancies across off-field areas. The specific roles involved have not been made clear.

News of Arsenal’s decision has been widely panned, particularly given the timing in relation to Arteta’s new contract and news that midfielder Declan Rice is closing in on his own new deal with a salary that could eclipse £350,000 ($460,000) per week.

Clearly, those funds will dwarf anything earned behind the scenes at Arsenal, where revenue increased by £319 million ($423 million) between 2022 and 2025, and has left many questioning the ethics behind the decision.

Indeed, Arsenal pride themselves on club values that include “championing each other,” “acting for a winning culture” and “doing the right thing (even when no one is looking).” The news that 60 members of that community are being jettisoned was destined to be met poorly, regardless of how Arsenal can dress it up.

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The Finances Behind Arsenal’s Tough Decision

Mikel Arteta’s new contract comes at an awkward time. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Arsenal may be a soccer club, but above all, it is a business. It would not exist without money.

Club accounts show that, despite the positive feeling on the pitch, Arsenal have actually made a loss for seven years in a row, including in 2024–25, when record revenues of £691 million ($917 million) were posted.

Operating costs have also risen, from £148 million ($196 million) up to £201 million ($266 million) across the 2024–25 campaign, with last season’s accounts potentially showing another rise when they are eventually released.

Bringing those costs down is crucial and so, with the mind-spinning finances on offer in the first team, it is never easy to see clubs looking at other areas of the business. Manchester United received a similar response when cutting over 300 jobs between the summers of 2024 and 2025 as part of a series of unpopular financial decisions.

Arsenal will argue sustainability and, without knowing the inner workings of the entire workforce, it is impossible to know whether they are right or wrong, but doing so while continuing to contribute to the wild finances of manager and player salaries is certainly a choice.

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